And cosmic rays eh? Are Decepticons around Mars these days? Or is it Michael Bay's elaborate movie campaign?

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I'm just a mean green mother from outer space and I'm bad

I'm just a mean green mother from outer space

And it looks like you been had

I'm just a mean green mother from outer space,

So get off my back 'n get out my face,

'Cause I'm mean and green and I am bad

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//selecting 8 nos (1-100)without repeating

randomize();

a[0]=random(100);

while(i!=8)

{

I AM BEBO. FROM MARS. I WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND.

redo:

temp=random(100);

flag=1;

for(k=0;k<=i;k++)

if(a[k]==temp){flag=5;break;}

if (flag==5) goto redo;

HELLO? THIS IS BEBO. CAN YOU HEAR ME?

else

{

a[i++]=temp;

soil[z++]=temp;

}

int r=0;

while(r!=8)

I THINK WE CORRUPTED THE LITTLE BUGGER'S MEMORY CORE.

{

label:

temp=a[random(8)];

flag=1;

for(k=0;k<=r;k++)

if(soil[k]==temp){flag=5;break;}

if (flag==5) goto label;

else

soil[r++]=temp;

}

WE BETTER GET OUT OF HERE. MOM WILL BE MAD IF WE BROKE THEIR TOY.

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Here's hoping they can get things running.

It's got to be incredibly interesting to diagnose a probe on another planet, if not maddening. (depending on your proximity to the project)

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Viking. Now that was a proper name for a robot explorer! We need to get back to names like that!

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As the logic gates on chips get smaller and smaller it becomes easier for a charged cosmic ray particle to flip a one to a zero or vice versa and thereby damage the arithmetic or logic of a computer. This is usually temporary and most chips have error checking procedures and redundancy to protect against that. Usually such occurrences only lead to nanosecond delays in calculations, nothing we staggeringly slow humans would ever notice.

But things have gotten so tiny now that cosmic rays can occasionally leave lasting damage to circuit elements and in some cases this can render a chip useless. Which may have happened here.

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